Event Location:
UCSD Extension - University City Center
6256 Greenwich Dr.
San Diego, California
Abstract:
In this session we will review the differences between deploying Microsoft SQL Server 2016 in Microsoft Azure and on-premises from a Security, Reliability and Scalability perspective. We'll review the common mistakes which people make when deploying SQL Server Virtual Machines to Azure which can lead to security problems including data breaches. We'll review the common performance problems which people encounter, and how to resolve them. Finally, we'll review the common scalability misunderstandings of Azure and SQL Server Virtual Machines. Join us for this fun session and learn how to improve the security, reliability and scalability of your Azure deployments of SQL Server 2016.
Speaker(s): Denny Cherry,
Abstract:
Have you ever thought to yourself “All these people think I’m smarter than I really am" or "I really don’t know what I’m doing, they're going to figure out I'm a fraud!” If yes, then you suffer from the Impostor Syndrome. And despite all the accomplishments, awards and accolades, you still doubt yourself. It’s rampant in the modern day tech workplace, and the fear will make you shrink back from opportunities. You dismiss praise. You overcompensate by working harder, being charming and demanding perfection from yourself. What would happen if you were released from this bondage, and kicked your impostor to the curb? In this session, learn 3 powerful techniques that can help to improve your confidence and silent that annoying voice in your head!
Speaker(s): Mindy Curnutt,
Abstract:
We all know that execution plans and indexes are important pieces to performance tuning jobs. However, they are definitely not the only tools in the toolbox. This session will take a more high-level, holistic, approach to performance tuning jobs and their components. We will talk about where to start, how to identify problem areas, and many ways to improve performance. Many of the topics covered in the presentation come from real-world situations I've encountered. One example describes how we stopped a job after 13 hours and were able to tune it down to 8 minutes. Adding additional hardware is not always an option or the answer. Do more with what you have and tune your jobs. I'll show you how.
Speaker(s): Jeff Prom,
Abstract:
We’ve all heard the rules for SQL Server like separate your data from your log, watch for a disk queue length over 2, and a low Page Life Expectancy always means memory pressure. All of these used to be true, but on today’s hardware and SQL Server versions – they are dangerously outdated. In this session, we will take on a bunch of these old “givens” of SQL Server that everybody has heard and followed, the underlying technological reasons they were true then, how today’s technology has rendered them obsolete, and what the new rules are that you need to know. So whether you are one of the old guard looking to refresh your set of working SQL Server rules or a member of the up-and-comers looking for the facts to win over the old guard, this session is for you.
Speaker(s): Maxwell Myrick,
Abstract:
When asked to design a critical database system, too many people pick an HA feature and then design the solution around it. This usually results in a costly and disappointing design. This session will show you the five basic archetypes for mission critical database systems and how to select the right features from SQL Server to implement each design. Along the way you’ll hear some best practices, tips, and real world advice for choosing between features like Availability Groups and clustered instances of SQL Server, as well as the history of some of the more interesting and less often used availability features. You will also get a glimpse of how some of the largest mission critical systems running on the Microsoft platform are created using a distributed model where redundancy replaces failover. While you may not be able to revisit your current designs right away, what you learn will improve how you approach thinking about making a system as fail-proof as it can be.
Speaker(s): Maxwell Myrick,
Abstract:
Like many of you, I've been fortunate enough to work in places where the budgets were non-existent, the systems were always crashing, and what tools we did have, were good for some, not all. For those fighting fires and wearing multiple hats, you're used to, but still scared of "hey, what just happened?" In this session, I'll show you how to install, configure, and build your own dashboard with Grafana, and utilize InfluxDB and Telegraf, which I believe will help you fight your fires better than before. Going past just monitoring your SQL Server, we'll also use some Powershell and SQL Server Agent Jobs to track our custom business KPIs, and configure some alerting to send us Slack notifications.
Speaker(s): Patrick Partin,
Abstract:
Every DBA should know about database corruption because it can be a resume generating event. A corrupt database can ruin your day, affect system stability, lead to unnecessary downtime, and possibly data loss. In this presentation we will explore database corruption, learn how to diagnose, and see what we can do to fix it. We will discuss the causes, dispel some myths, and learn what questions to ask. After this, we dive into discovering the root cause and putting a plan in place to stop it in the future. Demos will illustrate diagnosing, troubleshooting, and fixing database corruption. Prepare to break a database and go through the steps to return it back to a usable state. Beginners will benefit along with others who may one day find themselves with a corrupt database. By the end of the session, you will have the tools and understanding necessary to take corrective action and prevent your databases from corruption!
Speaker(s): Jeff Mlakar,
Abstract:
When called in to diagnose a performance issue what are the 1st things you review? Many DBAs and developers make the mistake of diving straight into the code looking for an answer. However, often times the solution is not in the code but rather in the overall environment. Environmental troubleshooting is often a quick and overlooked method for discovering and configuring SQL Server to perform at a higher level without the need for application change controls. In this session we will discuss both performance pitfalls and optimizations that can be made to the system outside of code changes. We will diagnose configurations commonly misapplied and review best practices in SQL Server, Windows Server, and VMware!
Speaker(s): Jeff Mlakar,
Abstract:
This 500 level session will focus on using undocumented statements and trace flags to get insight into how the query optimizer works and show you which operations it performs during query optimization. I will use these undocumented features to explain what the query optimizer does from the moment a query is submitted to SQL Server until an execution plan is generated including operations like parsing, binding, simplification, trivial plan, and full optimization. Concepts like transformation rules, the memo structure, how the query optimizer generates possible alternative execution plans, and how the best alternative is chosen based on those costs will be explained as well.
Speaker(s): Benjamin Nevarez,
Abstract:
Do you deploy SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) Projects using the Integration Services Deployment Wizard? If you're looking for a repeatable deployment method that can be source controlled, there's another way...the T-SQL way! In this session, you will see a demonstration of T-SQL script deployment of SSIS projects, using stored procedures in the SSISDB database. You'll learn how to query the SSIS catalog to find your project configurations so they can be captured and source controlled. Take control of your SSIS deployments...the T-SQL way! Prerequisites: You should have previous experience with SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) package deployment and/or development.
Speaker(s): Peter Kral,
Abstract:
Every team’s goal is to deliver business value faster, the question is how do you do that? If you’re a small shop with 1 or 2 developers then writing script in test and then running them production may be okay, but for a larger team that leads to problems. Using continuous integration (CI) and deployment techniques you can make small incremental changes which then set off a chain of automation steps that validates the new code. After automated validation, the code changes are ready for any additional User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and staging environments. During this session, you will learn how to manage database schema changes in a dynamic environment and deliver code to production by utilizing continuous integration and certain development techniques in minutes with minimal risk.
Speaker(s): Adam Anderson,
Abstract:
This session will cover the basics of developing, publishing and using SQL Server Reporting Services. You will learn all the steps needed to get started from connecting to the data source, creating data sets through putting the data on the page and publishing the report to the report server. See how easy SSRS is to use and how powerful it can be. The demo will be using SSRS 2016 but the concepts covered are applicable to any version of SQL Server. The session will also include: A tour of a wide variety of report examples including interactive graphical dashboards that you can do in SSRS, even in older versions. A comprehensive discussion of design elements to include and avoid when creating reports. Report printing and export considerations for optimal output depending on rendering format. You will leave this session able to return to the office and present meaningful data to your end users with minimal time and effort with easy to use and powerful BI tool that you already own.
Speaker(s): Ted Stathakis,
Abstract:
This session is an introduction to the unique functionality offered by COZYROC to create integration packages that dynamically map columns at runtime. The standard SSIS Data Flow Task can only use static metadata which is defined when the package is initially designed. The mapping of columns is configured and remains unchanged until the package is re-opened and design changes are made, thus costing maintenance time and effort. Data Flow Task Plus extends the capabilities of the standard Microsoft Data Flow task in that it allows you to set up dynamic data flows, thus eliminating maintenance time and effort. Changes to tables and columns are automatically incorporated at run time without the need to change and redeploy the package. Columns and fields are mapped automatically at run time. Furthermore, the initial design time and effort may be greatly reduced when dealing with huge amounts of data in a large number of files and/or databases.
Speaker(s): Diane Schuster,
Abstract:
Have you read about the amazing new SQL Server 2017 features, but your work is still stuck using SQL Server 2012 or older? Maybe even 2005? Would using Python or R to make it easier to manipulate and analyze your data ? Would temporal tables be an easy solution? Maybe In-Memory Tables or Columnstore Indexes would give you a performance boost? By thinking outside of the box and applying a little process massaging, we can actually do all this inside of the free SQL Server Express edition. The limits and features of this edition have been greatly increased, you just need to consider it. Because Express is still SQL Server, it easily connects to your existing SQL Server Standard and Enterprise versions that are doing the main workload. We're just partitioning off part of the workflow. Come see examples of incorporating all these features into your workload to increase performance, and to stop limiting your knowledge to yesterday's tech.
Speaker(s): Mike Burek,
Abstract:
Are you a developer or a systems admin and you've just been handed a SQL Server database and you've got no idea what to do with it? I've got some of the answers here in this session for you. During this session we will cover a variety of topics including backup and restore, recovery models, database maintenance, compression, data corruption, database compatibility levels and indexing. While this session won't teach you everything you need to know, it will give you some insights into the SQL Server database engine and give you the ability to better know what to look for.
Speaker(s): Denny Cherry,
Abstract:
Understanding Index internal operation is very important. It is a fundamental knowledge of performance tuning and troubleshooting. However, Index internal seems very hard to understand because many materials explain it a very complicated way. This presentation covers from basic concept of index to all of internal index structure. I will explain the index structure very simple concept. Therefore, all developer who attends this session could understand how index work with a Clustered index and a Non-clustered index together. Furthermore, this presentation will share very important tip how to troubleshooting index issue. This presentation would very help not only who does not know index but also, who know very well index internal.
Speaker(s): Simon Cho,
Abstract:
Organizations are under increasing pressure to deliver high quality software and services fast. But for Operations teams, the ability to support frequent change can be constrained by the complexities of database environments, and a need to protect the stability of the live environment and the security of the data it contains. In this session, we’ll demonstrate the tools you can use to protect sensitive data as it moves through environments, while helping your organization embrace a DevOps approach to software delivery. You will learn how to: Provision realistic isolated environments quickly and without the storage concerns Anonymize or replace sensitive data for reliable and compliant development Measure the performance impact of changes as they’re introduced Gain an understanding of the state of databases that are being deployed against
Speaker(s): Arneh Eskandari,
Abstract:
Cloud adoption for enterprise databases is in full swing. Whether it is production databases supporting mission critical applications or for High availability or Disaster recovery, the Cloud is on nearly every enterprise roadmap. Organizations are presented with options when it comes to cloud platform vendors like Azure, AWS, Google, etc., but have business dependencies on high performance, tight security and near zero downtimes during and after migration. If you are planning on migrating your on-premises production database to the cloud, keeping test or development environments refreshed and in sync this session is for you. Learn about: - Key trends driving cloud adoption - Top considerations for a DBA before moving databases to cloud - Architecture that supports on-prem/cloud/hybrid databases for HA or DR using Quest Software's SharePlex replication
Speaker(s): Susan Wong,
Abstract:
With the release of SQL Server 2016, Reporting Services finally got some love! In this session, you will get an overview of some of the new features and functionality: A look at the new Report Manager interface, Mobile reports, KPIs and the new control we have over the placement of parameters. We will also look at the new Mobile Report Publisher app and see how easy it is to create mobile reports. The session will cover tips for a smart migration to 2016. The session will then dive into how to use the data in the ReportServer database tables to see which reports in your environment are being used and how well they are performing. With this understanding you can determine which reports, data sets and data sources to migrate to a new 2016 installation. Come see how to leverage PowerShell to extract the reports from the database, instead of having to download them from Report Manager, to facilitate an easy migration to a new SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services implementation.
Speaker(s): Ted Stathakis,
Abstract:
Predictive modeling contains six stages of analysis according to the Cross Industry Standard Process Model for Data Mining (CRISP-DM). I will break this down into three primary tasks for predictive modelers including preparing data, building models, and explaining results. Data preparation often requires skills in SQL, python, or other languages to be able to pull data out of data stores and convert the normalized data into flattened data that the algorithms can use to build models Modeling requires a qualitative (if not quantitative) understanding of the algorithms, including mathematics or statistics, in order to build effectively. Finally, modelers should know how to explain the results of their findings to other analysts and to decision-makers and stakeholders. The session will walk through the building of a predictive model for a retail application: predicting the days to next purchase propensity model.
Speaker(s): Dustin Vannoy,
Abstract:
What is Data Driven? You might have heard someone at your organization say you need to be more data driven, but what does it mean? How does your organization need to change to be able to support being data driven? As you might imagine it is a little bit more complicated that just saying the words or putting together a few charts. This session will talk about the fundamental things that you need to think about to move to being more data driven. It is a combination of people, process, policy and technology. This session will give you a lot to think about how to apply the principles of being data applies to your company.
Speaker(s): Andrew Karcher,
Abstract:
In today's regulatory environment, expertise in security and compliance are table stakes in the DBA job market. Industries that manage customer data (finance, health care, etc.) have strict protocols required by law and enforced by audits, which are kind of like a month-long root canal but not as fun. In this presentation we'll cover regulatory standards, security basics and best practices, and the various encryption options available in SQL Server (Backups, TDE, Column, AlwaysEncrypted). We'll also cover monitoring/logging, go over some new features, and some bonus material on dealing with audits. I look forward to seeing you there!
Speaker(s): Thomas Hull,
Abstract:
R is the premiere language for data analysis. If the world of data science sounds fun and exciting, now is the time to get into R. We will walk through the core constructs of R, learn how to retrieve data from flat files and databases, and get a peek at the power behind R. This session will also give resources on where to go in order to become more familiar with statistics, R the language, and the R package ecosystem.
Speaker(s): Kevin Feasel,
Abstract:
Discover the ways Azure transforms AI and Predictive Analytics making it easier and more accessible through services like Azure Machine Learning and pre-built Cognitive Services, while also supporting custom development and deep-learning.
Speaker(s): Amie Mason,
Abstract:
"I've got a locking problem", "I need to get rid of blocking," and "deadlocks are normal behavior" are all things heard way too many times. In this session targeted at the accidental or new DBA, we will walk through each of these items, what they are, what their causes are, which of them are normal behavior and which are not, and some common causes of deadlocks and excessive blocking.
Speaker(s): Randy Knight,
Abstract:
If you're interested in Hadoop but don't know where to begin, this session will give you an idea of what you can do with the open-source platform. We will see an overview of the Hadoop architecture, becoming familiar with the overall platform and its solutions for warehousing, ETL, streaming data ingest, in-memory processing, and more. We will compare Hadoop to SQL Server to help gain an understanding of when to deploy which technology.
Speaker(s): Kevin Feasel,
Abstract:
We will be discussing the lifecycle of a Power BI Dashboard beginning from Accessing data, Data preparation, and cleansing, consuming the data for reports and deploying the reports to Power BI services, configuring security and making the Dashboards available to end users.
Speaker(s): Suresh Datla,
Abstract:
Parameter sniffing is a good thing: it is used by the Query Optimizer to produce an execution plan tailored to the current parameters of a query. However, due to the way that the plan cache stores these plans in memory, sometimes can also be a performance problem. This session will show you how parameter sniffing works and in which cases could be a problem. How to diagnose and troubleshoot parameter sniffing problems and their solutions will be discussed as well. The session will also include details on how the Query Optimizer uses the histogram and density components of the statistics object and some other advanced topics.
Speaker(s): Benjamin Nevarez,
Abstract:
SQL Server is now available on Linux but you only know Windows, now what? During this session we'll introduce the Linux version of Windows commands you use on a daily basis for administering SQL Server. We'll look at updating Linux, updating SQL Server, moving files between Windows and Linux, and backing up and restoring databases from one system to another. We'll also look at default file locations for SQL Server and what can be moved and how to accomplish that.
Speaker(s): Jay Falck,
Abstract:
This course will focus on the fundamentals of strategic SQL Server index design and creation. Terms that will be covered and clarified: clustered index, non-clustered index, uniqueness, covering index, fill-factor, scan, seek, key lookup, and fragmentation. This is a beginning level course for those who have always found indexes confusing and somewhat elusive. Lots of valuable information will be provided in a short amount of time.
Speaker(s): Mindy Curnutt,
Abstract:
Overview of Columnstore indexes introduced in SQL Server 2012 and its evolution through each release. We will explore how data is organized differently in Columnstore and its impact on query performances. We would cover some of best practices when using this new technology and pitfalls to watch out for when designing your system.
Speaker(s): Sepand Gojgini,
Abstract:
The magic of Partitioning will be revealed. The session will cover the basics of partitioning a table including all the decisions you'll need to make when you’re creating your first. Additionally, I'll demonstrate how to add, alter and remove partitions. Plus explore other features that are available. Demos will include using both the SSMS GUI and/or T-SQL Scripts as we build a table partition and handle all the expected maintenance and normal operations you may encounter.
Speaker(s): Eddie Maloney,
Abstract:
Windowing functions are when you add a "window" to which rows a function will look at using the OVER clause. We'll start by learning how to add the OVER clause to the commonplace COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, and MAX aggregate functions, since the OVER clause is optional. From there, we'll learn some ranking functions, which do require the OVER clause. You'll see examples that use the ROW_NUMBER function to identify and delete duplicate rows. Finally, we'll close with the RANK and DENSE_RANK functions that help you report on the grouping of your data.
Speaker(s): Mike Burek,
Abstract:
We will have an introduction to ETL, ETL software landscape and Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services a.k.a. SSIS in greater details. We will also discuss what's new in SSIS 2016/2017. For the hands-on section, we will create a simple SSIS package and test-drive some selected features, like Balance Data Distributor, Control parts, and Expression Task.
Speaker(s): Steve Rezhener,
Abstract:
Not long ago, being a Microsoft DBA meant be specialized in Microsoft SQL Server and all the whistles and bells shipped together in the same box. That was the on-prem age. Now in the cloud computing age, all cloud providers support multiple database engines in order to welcome all applications to their infrastructure. SQL Server is not always the way to go for an application. In this session full of demos, we will discuss what it takes to be an all-rounded Azure cloud DBA, best applicable scenarios, price budgeting and tuning.
Speaker(s): Armando Lacerda,
Abstract:
Integration Services (SSIS) can be a very powerful tool for data loading as well as many other functions. In this demo we'll cover some methods for getting started with this program.
Speaker(s): Brodie Brickey,
Abstract:
Why not create a report that only sends information if there is data? Oh, don't have the Enterprise Edition? I'll show you how with SQL Server Standard Edition. This demo will walk you through the steps to create these data driven subscriptions. We'll be using Reporting Services, Integration Services and SQL Agent Jobs to setup and schedule data driven subscriptions. SQL Server 2008 and up.
Speaker(s): Brodie Brickey,
Abstract:
If you've ever found yourself stating the above, this session is for you. For many developers, writing T-SQL that works is not the challenge. But too often, functional T-SQL is not the same as good T-SQL. In this session, we will examine why "SQL that works" is not good enough. Understanding indexes, exectuion plans, sargability, and more are all critical to writing good T-SQL. We will also examine several real-world examples of T-SQL that "worked great in dev" but caused major issues when it hit production.
Speaker(s): Randy Knight,
Abstract:
Historical review of how SQL Server has evolved over the years; Significant additions and new features in some of the new versions; There are fundamentally two career paths in the world of SQL Server: DBA and Developer What is the future for each of these career paths and why is this an important question to ask?
Speaker(s): Ben Aminnia,
Abstract:
SSIS Package deployment was the first, but is it the best? Project deployment promised so much, but did it deliver? Find out which method is best for you when you see two expert practitioners go head-to-head, presenting their best-case solution for their method, and then take on the weaknesses of their opposition! Which will emerge as the supreme deployment method? BE THERE!!!
Speaker(s): Peter Kral,
Abstract:
Our tutorial is for anyone new to data science or is interested in taking the first steps. We start by highlighting how data science and artificial intelligence can help achieve business goals. We go into reviewing the data science process and steps involved. This is followed by a live hands-on workshop where we build a simple linear regression model to make predictions and then we evaluate the results.
Speaker(s): Zia Khan,
Abstract:
Lift and shift is an utopia many IT professionals have about moving on-prem resources to the cloud. The truth is we must understand how the cloud works so we adjust, design accordingly and deliver to expectations. As SQL DBAs we have options. We can choose between IaaS or PaaS, between SQL in a VM or SQL DB, NoSQL options, Azure Data Warehouse some more. In this session we will dive into these options and understand some key points on the platform through some demos.
Speaker(s): Armando Lacerda,
Abstract:
DAX is used everywhere now: Excel, Power BI, SSAS Tabular. If you were in a job interview and someone asked if you knew DAX, can you say "yes?" This session is here to help you learn the basics of DAX and put you well on your way to DAX mastery. We'll talk about all the popular aggregations like SUM, MAX, MIN, CALCULATE, ALL, FILTER. We'll cover the filter context. We'll show the difference between the SUM and SUMX functions. Come to this session to learn all you need to know about DAX.
Speaker(s): Ike Ellis,
This is a list of speakers from the XML Guidebook records. The details and URLs were valid at the time of the event.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/randyknight
Contact: http://www.sqlsolutionsgroup.com/blog
Randy Knight is a data professional who has worked with Microsoft technology for over 25 years, focusing on SQL Server since 1997. He has worked in a variety of settings, including 6 years as a database architect for match.com. In 2010, he founded SQL Server Solutions Group LLC, a boutique SQL Server consultancy. A Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) in SQL Server, he speaks often at events all over the country including the PASS Summit, SQLIntersections, and numerous SQL Saturday and User Groups.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-feasel/7/716/504
Contact: http://www.catallaxyservices.com
Kevin Feasel is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and CTO at Envizage, where he specializes in data analytics with T-SQL and R, forcing Spark clusters to do his bidding, fighting with Kafka, and pulling rabbits out of hats on demand. He is the lead contributor to Curated SQL (https://curatedsql.com), president of the Triangle Area SQL Server Users Group (https://www.meetup.com/tripass), and author of PolyBase Revealed (https://www.apress.com/us/book/9781484254608). A resident of Durham, North Carolina, he can be found cycling the trails along the triangle whenever the weather's nice enough.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/randyknight
Contact: http://www.sqlsolutionsgroup.com/blog
Randy Knight is a data professional who has worked with Microsoft technology for over 25 years, focusing on SQL Server since 1997. He has worked in a variety of settings, including 6 years as a database architect for match.com. In 2010, he founded SQL Server Solutions Group LLC, a boutique SQL Server consultancy. A Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) in SQL Server, he speaks often at events all over the country including the PASS Summit, SQLIntersections, and numerous SQL Saturday and User Groups.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajhull
Thomas AJ Hull is a database professional based in San Diego, with 20+ years of SQL Server experience (since v6.5). AJ has worked as a consultant in the financial and biotech industries, and is currently a DBA Team Lead at Union Bank. He earned a BS in Engineering at Cornell University, and a master's at Rochester. His certifications include MCSE: Data Platform MCSE: Data Management and Analytics. AJ enjoys mentoring developers and junior DBAs, and is always striving to learn more through continuing education and involvement in the SQL Server community. His goal is to pass along hard-earned knowledge with practical actionable advice, and believes that the best way to learn something is to teach it.
Contact: http://www.benjaminnevarez.com/
Benjamin Nevarez is a SQL Server independent consultant based in Los Angeles, California, who specializes in SQL Server query tuning and optimization. He is the author of “SQL Server 2014 Query Tuning amp; Optimization” and “Inside the SQL Server Query Optimizer” and co-author of “SQL Server 2012 Internals.quot; Benjamin has also been a speaker at many SQL Server conferences, including PASS Summit, SQL Server Connections, and SQLBits. His blog can be found at http://www.benjaminnevarez.com.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sqlha
Contact: http://sqlha.com/blog
Max Myrick is a SQL Server consultant whose experience includes 15 years at Microsoft with 5 years on the SQL Server development team where he ran the SQL Customer Lab and then the Sustained Engineering team. He was an founding member of Microsoft#39;s Mission Critical team where he worked with the largest SQL Server applications worldwide for almost a decade. Max was a regular speaker for Microsoft and has continued to speak at various PASS and other SQL Conferences since becoming a managing partner of SQLHA LLC.
Susan Wong has been a Systems Architect supporting Business Continuity and Oracle performance management and tuning for 16 years. Susan has performed numerous consulting engagements of configurations including high availability, reporting, and migrations, and has been ensuring companies meet their Oracle database availability since Oracle 7x. Prior to Quest Software, Susan worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Fluor Daniel and subsequently managed the CAD solutions and database teams. Susan has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayfalck
I started as a night shift computer operator out of high school. I moved to applications development after graduation from SAC. After a few years with the State as an applications developer, the manager of Systems Programming decided it would be better to have me on the inside looking out rather than on the outside trying to get in. I spent the next 14 years as a mainframe system programmer for two state agencies. In 1996 I moved to Healthcare IT and have been that ever since. I’ve spent most of the past 14 years doing ETL, performance and HIPAA security. In these various jobs, I’ve used all manner of databases including InfoTec IMP, IBM VSAM and DB2, Interbase, Informix, Universe, Oracle 9i and SQL Server from 6.0 to 2008 R2.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeburek
Contact: http://tikiwiki.mikeburek.com
He started by building a complete computerized inventory management system for a multi-state store. Next, he managed Texas Medicare and Medicaid claim data to keep it processing, and building new monitoring metrics. Afterwards, he processed and analyzed marketing data on tens of millions of customers and sent hundreds of millions of multi-lingual marketing messages worldwide. Upgrading those marketing skills, he then worked to process and query tune marketing data for tens of thousands of worldwide enterprise customers, bringing in tens of millions of dollars per campaign. Now he monitors database servers to keep them running well, tunes queries, and helps businesses build new ETL processes. He also runs the Austin, TX user group.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeburek
Contact: http://tikiwiki.mikeburek.com
He started by building a complete computerized inventory management system for a multi-state store. Next, he managed Texas Medicare and Medicaid claim data to keep it processing, and building new monitoring metrics. Afterwards, he processed and analyzed marketing data on tens of millions of customers and sent hundreds of millions of multi-lingual marketing messages worldwide. Upgrading those marketing skills, he then worked to process and query tune marketing data for tens of thousands of worldwide enterprise customers, bringing in tens of millions of dollars per campaign. Now he monitors database servers to keep them running well, tunes queries, and helps businesses build new ETL processes. He also runs the Austin, TX user group.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sureshdatla/
Worked on the Microsoft stack for 19 years now. Built successful Data Analytics Practices before. Currently focused on Data Platform, Data Analytics, Power BI and ML. I do Dashboard in a day sessions at Irvine MTC once every month. I also, conduct OC power BI user group to build a strong Power BI Community. Worked with SQL Server product since it was version 7 and Power BI since its inception.
Contact: http://www.benjaminnevarez.com/
Benjamin Nevarez is a SQL Server independent consultant based in Los Angeles, California, who specializes in SQL Server query tuning and optimization. He is the author of “SQL Server 2014 Query Tuning amp; Optimization” and “Inside the SQL Server Query Optimizer” and co-author of “SQL Server 2012 Internals.quot; Benjamin has also been a speaker at many SQL Server conferences, including PASS Summit, SQL Server Connections, and SQLBits. His blog can be found at http://www.benjaminnevarez.com.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sqlha
Contact: http://sqlha.com/blog
Max Myrick is a SQL Server consultant whose experience includes 15 years at Microsoft with 5 years on the SQL Server development team where he ran the SQL Customer Lab and then the Sustained Engineering team. He was an founding member of Microsoft#39;s Mission Critical team where he worked with the largest SQL Server applications worldwide for almost a decade. Max was a regular speaker for Microsoft and has continued to speak at various PASS and other SQL Conferences since becoming a managing partner of SQLHA LLC.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmlakar/
Contact: http://www.mlakartechtalk.com/
Jeff Mlakar is a database professional specializing in Microsoft SQL Server. He has worked the past 15 years as a database developer and administrator (admini-loper or develo-strator…take your pick), analyst, and with Business Intelligence. A technology enthusiast – he is interested in data security and privacy topics. Jeff lives in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-anderson-dba/
Contact: https://sqlpioneer.wordpress.com/
Adam Anderson is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate in Database Development, and an ICAgile Certified Agile and DevOps professional with over 2 decades of experience in IT processes. Currently, he works at American AgCredit in Santa Rosa California on their software integrations team.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-feasel/7/716/504
Contact: http://www.catallaxyservices.com
Kevin Feasel is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and CTO at Envizage, where he specializes in data analytics with T-SQL and R, forcing Spark clusters to do his bidding, fighting with Kafka, and pulling rabbits out of hats on demand. He is the lead contributor to Curated SQL (https://curatedsql.com), president of the Triangle Area SQL Server Users Group (https://www.meetup.com/tripass), and author of PolyBase Revealed (https://www.apress.com/us/book/9781484254608). A resident of Durham, North Carolina, he can be found cycling the trails along the triangle whenever the weather's nice enough.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brodie-brickey-b074988/
Over eighteen years in Information Technology developing solutions for companies. I specialize in integrating information from disparate systems for legal and financial firms. PMP ITIL certified.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tedstathakis
Contact: http://fishheadted.com
Ted Stathakis is a data professional passionate about the presentation layer. He has worked with SQL Server since the turn of the century, has mastered Reporting Services since he began working with it when it was released in 2004, and is super excited about Mobile Reports and Power BI. Ted hosts the local PASS user group, is the organizer of SQLSaturday Orange County and presented on SSRS at Summit in 2019. As a 40+ year veteran of the restaurant industry, he is been an advisor, speaker and panelist at national trade shows. When he isn't consulting on Business Intelligence projects he can be found presenting at a conference, enjoying some live music or teaching kids, both young and old, fishing and archery at a nearby Scout camp.
Contact: http://www.pointercorp.com
Ben Aminnia is a database architect / .NET developer / consultant at Pointer Corporation with over 25 years of experience in developing database systems and managing a team of SQL Server developers and DBAs. He's also the architect of Virtual Information Portal (VIP) System and the past-president of Los Angeles SQL Server Professionals Group.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tedstathakis
Contact: http://fishheadted.com
Ted Stathakis is a data professional passionate about the presentation layer. He has worked with SQL Server since the turn of the century, has mastered Reporting Services since he began working with it when it was released in 2004, and is super excited about Mobile Reports and Power BI. Ted hosts the local PASS user group, is the organizer of SQLSaturday Orange County and presented on SSRS at Summit in 2019. As a 40+ year veteran of the restaurant industry, he is been an advisor, speaker and panelist at national trade shows. When he isn't consulting on Business Intelligence projects he can be found presenting at a conference, enjoying some live music or teaching kids, both young and old, fishing and archery at a nearby Scout camp.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindycurnutt
Contact: http://www.mindycurnutt.com
Mindy Curnutt is a 5X Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Business Owner and Entrepreneur. Her specialties include SQL Server hardware, configuration, migrations, scalability, performance tuning. She has been actively involved in the SQL Server Community for over two decades and has become a well known speaker within the SQL and Transportation Management communities. She is a two-time PASS Volunteer of the Month, has presented at 6 SQLPASS Summits, Live360, DevConnections, MVPMix and too many SQL Saturdays to count. She is currently the President of the North Texas SQL Server User Group out of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiemaloneydba/
SQL MCTS, OCP,Professionally Trained by Microsoft University on SQL Server Work with VLDBs, DW, Azure all other SQL based products since version 1.1 (OS/2 Warp!) Before SQL, Programmer in VB, Clipper, Assembly, C, Cobol, FoxBase/Pro, Paradox, DBbase 2+ (maybe others but who cares).
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mziakhan/
Contact: http://na
Passionate about developing solutions based on customers’ needs and requirements . I help provide customized solutions to help organizations transition from traditional data centers to virtualized data centers and/or cloud environment (Public, Private or Hybrid). Currently working as a data science consultant and computer systems analyst for TheDevMasters. Two projects I have am very actively involved with are a recommendation model for an e-commerce platform and customer sentiment analysis.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkral
Peter Kral is a Premier Field Engineer (Data AI) at Microsoft. He holds SQL Server MCSA 2012/2014/2016 and Data Platform MCSE certifications, and was the winner of the Speaker Idol Award at PASS Summit 2016. Peter lives in the San Diego area where he is an active member of the local PASS chapter. He has spoken at many SQLSaturdays, SoCal Code Camps, and at PASS Summit 2017 and 2018.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/amiemason33
Consultant with a demonstrated history of working with clients across multiple verticals to leverage their data to improve reporting and decision making in their business. Able to quickly assess business requirements and skilled in report design and predictive analytics enabling a direct translation from those requirements to business impact. Broad background includes experience in the public sector, survey design, and grassroots campaign management.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brodie-brickey-b074988/
Over eighteen years in Information Technology developing solutions for companies. I specialize in integrating information from disparate systems for legal and financial firms. PMP ITIL certified.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrdenny
Contact: https://www.dcac.com
Denny Cherry is the owner and principal consultant for Denny Cherry Associates Consulting and has over a decade of experience working with platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Microsoft SQL Server, Hyper-V, vSphere, and Enterprise Storage solutions. Denny’s areas of technical expertise include system architecture, performance tuning, security, replication, and troubleshooting. Denny currently holds several Microsoft Certifications related to SQL Server 2000 through 2019, including being a Microsoft Certified Master, Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert Award.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/armando-lacerda
Over 30 years in the computing field as a developer and system integrator; over 20 years working with SQL Server since version 6; cross platform experience with Oracle and IBM SQL/DS and DB2; Microsoft Certified Trainer for over 20 years.
Contact: http://www.andrewkarcher.com
Andrew is a Data Professional that is super passionate about the ability of data to drive change in our world, work, and personal lives. He has over 15 years of experience across multiple roles, companies and technologies. A passion for learning is core to how I approach life. Over 10+ years I have spoken at User Groups, Code Camps, SQL Saturdays and Conferences along with supporting my local community as a SQL Saturday Organizer, User Group leader, and advocate for community involvement for all technology professionals. I was also recognized by Microsoft as a four-time SQL Server MVP for my technical community contributions.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkral
Peter Kral is a Premier Field Engineer (Data AI) at Microsoft. He holds SQL Server MCSA 2012/2014/2016 and Data Platform MCSE certifications, and was the winner of the Speaker Idol Award at PASS Summit 2016. Peter lives in the San Diego area where he is an active member of the local PASS chapter. He has spoken at many SQLSaturdays, SoCal Code Camps, and at PASS Summit 2017 and 2018.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/armando-lacerda
Over 30 years in the computing field as a developer and system integrator; over 20 years working with SQL Server since version 6; cross platform experience with Oracle and IBM SQL/DS and DB2; Microsoft Certified Trainer for over 20 years.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dianeschuster
Diane has worked with COZYROC since 2012. She has attended numerous SQL Saturdays to shine the light on the time-saving and capability-extending components and tasks that COZYROC offers in it’s SSIS+ library. Without even having a background in databases or SQL Server, Diane successfully configures packages in live demonstrations that use COZYROC components and tasks. She believes that, if the toolkit is this easy to use for a novice, then just imagine what a SQL Server expert can do with it! In Diane’s data networking days, Diane performed a variety of development-related and customer-facing roles for IBM, Lucent Technologies, North Carolina State University and Connectware.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffprom
Contact: http://www.jeffprom.com
Jeff Prom is a Data and BI Developer with over 19 years experience. From a wide variety of industries, he has worked with corporations both large and small including several global fortune 50 companies. Jeff is an active member in the SQL community and regularly speaks and attends user groups and conferences. He has earned MCTS certifications for Database Development, Administration, and BI. Jeff is currently employed at Bridgepoint Education as a Business Intelligence Data Architect.
Dustin Vannoy has spent a decade on solving business problems with analytics and big data solutions. He is passionate about all aspects of data work, including modeling, building scalable data pipelines, and creating intuitive dashboards. He is experienced in transitioning legacy ETL jobs into streaming pipelines with Spark and Kafka. He started his career with SQL Server Integrations Services, but currently focuses on using Python and Scala with cloud data services. Dustin is a technical leader in San Diego and the co-founder of the San Diego Data Engineering Group. He now encourages others to grow their data skills by speaking at user groups and conferences, particularly around Southern California and Baja California.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmlakar/
Contact: http://www.mlakartechtalk.com/
Jeff Mlakar is a database professional specializing in Microsoft SQL Server. He has worked the past 15 years as a database developer and administrator (admini-loper or develo-strator…take your pick), analyst, and with Business Intelligence. A technology enthusiast – he is interested in data security and privacy topics. Jeff lives in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ikeellis
Contact: http://blog.ikeellis.com
Ike Ellis is a Senior Data Architect and partner for Crafting Bytes. He has designed and implemented data solutions for many well-known organizations. He has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP since 2011. He co-authored the book "Developing Azure Solutions," now in its second edition. He is a popular speaker at SQLBits, PASS Summit, and SQL in the City. He speaks at user groups, code camps, and SQLSaturdays. He has written courses on SQL Server for developers, Power BI, SSRS, SSIS, and SSAS for Wintellect. He has an upcoming course on CosmosDB. He founded the San Diego Tech Immersion Group, a technical book club based in San Diego and is the co-chair of the San Diego Software Architecture Group.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrdenny
Contact: https://www.dcac.com
Denny Cherry is the owner and principal consultant for Denny Cherry Associates Consulting and has over a decade of experience working with platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Microsoft SQL Server, Hyper-V, vSphere, and Enterprise Storage solutions. Denny’s areas of technical expertise include system architecture, performance tuning, security, replication, and troubleshooting. Denny currently holds several Microsoft Certifications related to SQL Server 2000 through 2019, including being a Microsoft Certified Master, Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert Award.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsql
Contact: http://simonsql.com
Simon Cho is one of the founders of SQLAngeles.com, which is a Los Angeles Korean Tech PASS community group. As a Local Group leader, he is a Microsoft SQL community speaker. He has presented many times at SQLSaturdays and to PASS Local Groups. He moved his passion to VISA Inc, the largest credit card provider in the world, where he used database technology to build a strong solution and a secure environment, with new strategies and features to maintain thousands of SQL Servers. He has now joined the Nowcom Corp, as a Director of DevOps, where he leads the DevOps team and DBA team. He is pretty much working on SQL server running on kubernetes.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-partin-64723449/
Like most, Patrick accidentally found his way into SQL Server because MS Access couldn't handle Real Estate, even if it was Connecticut. After discovering that DBAs can get paid pretty well to drink coffee and argue all day, a career was born. 20 something years later, Patrick has been fortunate to Administer, Architect, Develop, and Manage Databases, Networking, Storage, and Linux/Windows Systems of all shapes and sizes, covering companies in Accounting, Finance, Higher Education, Radio, Real Estate, Payroll, and now, Transportation Analytics.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgojgini/
Product Director at Datateam Services, 10+ years of experience designing data warehouse model and ETL engines used globally. Had a chance of working on world biggest relational Data Warehouse at Amazon managing 5+ PetaByte of data with growth 7+ TeraByte daily. Seeking to apply best software development practices to ETL development and streamlining development process.
Arneh Eskandari has been a Technical Engineer with Redgate for over seven years. He specializes in supporting clients with Database DevOps and improving their overall database change management process. His experience, includes helping leading organizations overcome complex legacy databases, integrate new tools and processes across multiple teams, and deliver proof of concepts to senior executives.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steverezhener
Contact: https://www.datasteve.com
Steve Rezhener is a database professional most enthusiastic about Microsoft BI stack. He started his IT career trying to outsmart Excel using VBA, moved to VB 6.0, VB.NET, C# and suddenly got addicted to SQL Server 2005 and related tools. His lunch menu for 10+ years consisted of SSIS SSRS with some occasional SSAS for breakfast. Steve is super excited about the innovation baked into AWS, Azure, PowerBI, and SQL Server 2017. Steve is a holder of relics such as DBA Microsoft certifications on SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008. He is an organizer of SQL Saturday in Los Angeles (#SQLSatLA), LA Data Platform (aka SQLMalibu) and is an SQLSaturday speaker. When he isn't dealing with data, he fixes a kitchen, plays an XBOX and enjoys his kids.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindycurnutt
Contact: http://www.mindycurnutt.com
Mindy Curnutt is a 5X Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Business Owner and Entrepreneur. Her specialties include SQL Server hardware, configuration, migrations, scalability, performance tuning. She has been actively involved in the SQL Server Community for over two decades and has become a well known speaker within the SQL and Transportation Management communities. She is a two-time PASS Volunteer of the Month, has presented at 6 SQLPASS Summits, Live360, DevConnections, MVPMix and too many SQL Saturdays to count. She is currently the President of the North Texas SQL Server User Group out of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event.